Populating 5frame double mini nucs

[Rube63]

Would someone please share the best way to populate the double mine nucs. I just got some and would like to play around with some of them. I was thinking I might take the queen out of a nuc put it in the mini and then sit the mini back in the nucs spot. Help with what you do please.

[canoemaker]

I use my strong hives and nucs to make brood to stock the mini mating nucs. I've got medium supers (5-, 8-, and 10-frame) with cross dividers that can hold the half-sized medium frames. When the frames have open brood I put them, along with the nurse bees into the mating nucs. I move them to my mating yard and install a ripe cell. That has worked very well for me. As my mating nucs become full of brood from the new queens, I steal some of the brood and start another nuc. This winter I'll put the half-sized frames above nucs that I will make shortly. Next spring they will be ready with either stores or brood.

[Rube63]

Thanks I have some 5frame medium supers for my nucs that I will modify. Does the cross divider go from top to bottom or just a place for the frame to rest on?

[canoemaker]

The frame goes from top to bottom, I use a full one-inch board with 3/8" rabbets on each side. That leaves a 1/4 center piece that acts as a stop for the ends of the top bars. I had a couple that I did not use a full divider. The bees were quick to fill that extra space with burr comb--what a pain!
I'm also using the 5-frame mediums (with dividers) as double mating nucs. I put a spacer on the center of the bottom board to match the divider in the super so that when they are together the bees can't get from one side to the other. I made my bottom boards out of plywood with 1x3 rails. It is 24" long, which allows a two inch landing board at each end. I cut a feed sack to fit the top of the super and staple it to the center divider to make my inner covers. When I'm done with queen rearing for the season, I will put the queenless mediums on top of some of my 5-frame nucs to overwinter. I can stack them as high as needed.
Good Luck!

[Rube63]

Thanks so much I think I have the idea....